Promise Me Later
by earthlyXangel
Summary: He didn’t know how he was able to carry her into the hotel room. His brain was fogged and his steps weakening from lack of rest. All he knew was that he had to get her somewhere safe, somewhere warm. It was all that mattered. Shima.


**Author's Babble****: **My first story!!! Be nice, everyone!

Since I'm a little bit obsessed with this couple, I was soo disappointed that there was no Shima scene after Shiki carried Rima off, so I naturally had to make one up myself! Be warned, this is a real Shima story and not just them as friends!

Many, many thanks to FabulousGeorgina for being fabulous and betaing this for me! Without her, this would have been a complete and total disaster. Thank you so much for taking time to rescue this story!

**Disclaimer:** Vampire Knight does not belong to me in any way. I wish that some of these amazing vampire guys belonged to me but sadly, they do not.

--o-- [START]--o--

_He didn't know how he was able to carry her into the hotel room. His brain was fogged and his steps weakening from lack of rest. All he knew was that he had to get her somewhere safe, somewhere warm. It was all that mattered. Because Rima was the only important thing in the entire world, and everything else was a pale ghost beside her. _

_Setting her down on the bed, he felt his pulse jump with apprehension and remorse at her appearance. She seemed so fragile, her breathing slight and labored, her skin nearly translucent. As if she were a porcelain doll that might fracture at any given moment. And the worst part was that she was in that state because of _him._ It had been his hand that had directed the whip of blood that had nearly ended her precious life. His hand. _

_His._

_It was tearing him apart. He was afraid his heart might shatter in his chest. The pain ripped through him, and he grit his teeth, fist clenching, his knuckles white with tension. How could he have let his father take such control of him, to nearly kill the girl he loved? He was revolted with himself, and torn with shame. _

_But a wave of fatigue had him staggering on his feet. He let himself fall to the mattress, welcoming the relief that sleep would give him from his tormented thoughts. His last thought before consciousness seeped away was that he should stay awake, just in case someone had followed them. Then everything plunged into darkness._

--o--

She opened her eyes slowly, letting sleep fade. Faint light pricked at her eyelids, and she shut them quickly, even those slight rays causing her irritation. Her mind felt bleary, blurring in and out of focus, and she had a hard time forming a coherent thought. She did register, however, someone's arms around her, holding her close and warm. She snuggled closer, sighing softly and beginning to fall back to sleep.

Her eyes snapped open suddenly and she froze in horror. Where was she? She struggled to remember what had happened. Sluggishly, previous events came back to her. Shiki had been possessed by his father, and she had been trying to bring him back to himself. Had been trying, and then had passed out from a wound in her shoulder. But before she had lost consciousness, she had seen the awareness flood back into his eyes for a brief instant. It had been fleeting, horrified at what his power had done to her, but there, all the same. That was where her memory faded.

_Shiki…!_

She had to find him. She had to kick that disgusting creature out of his body, by whatever means necessary. She would not allow anyone to defile him like that!

Her thoughts ceased quite abruptly as she realized where she was. That warmth… The arms around her, holding her close… The soft, rhythmic breathing against her hair… The legs tangled with hers were…

_Shiki…_

She closed her eyes, inhaling his scent deeply. Her whole body relaxed now as she pressed even closer to him. A soft thrum of contentment rose in her chest, and she began to wind her arms around him-and stopped quite suddenly.

What was she doing?! She jerked away abruptly, aggravated and anxious. How did she know that the person lying there was Shiki and not his father? She scrambled to sit up, having a slightly difficult time disentangling herself from him, and stared down at him. Her brow furrowed in vexation. How could she know the difference?

But she did know. No one would have left her in a bed with someone who would most likely attempt to murder her while she slept. Which meant that the one lying there had to be Shiki.

She took a deep breath of relief and closed her eyes slowly, attempting to subdue her pounding heart. When she opened them again, she found herself gazing down at him, his sleeping face completely unguarded and vulnerable. Her heart twisted in her chest. Carelessly, she touched his hair, letting her fingers slide through the silky strands, and then brushed her fingertips across his cheek, unconsciously smiling to herself. But, under even so light a touch, his eyes fluttered open.

She snatched her hand away quickly, suspicion lingering as she observed him critically. His left eye, which had been altered to a dark red hue during his time under his father's influence, had now reverted back to its usual clear, tranquil blue. If she had any remaining doubts as to who was before her, they were swept away now.

He blinked and then looked at her with mild confusion, sitting up after a moment, his expression bewildered as he took in the unfamiliar room. Then he looked at her as if in supplication, his eyes begging for explanation at the surroundings.

She was helpless under the plea of those eyes. The inexplicable urge to touch him, to wrap her arms around him, flooded over her. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek softly, eliciting a tentative return smile from him.

And then rapidly, awareness filled his eyes. She could see his mind clicking into action, registering where he was, why he was there, and what had just occurred. For a moment, he only stared back at her, perhaps unable to do anything more. Then, in a blur of motion, she felt his arms close around her, the force propelling her backwards against the bed so that she had to twist to one side to avoid falling off. Despite his impulsive action, however, he managed to keep from landing against her roughly. Even his sporadic decisions were graceful.

His face was hidden against the pillow, his arms wrapped around her tightly, trembling slightly. His voice was the barest whisper as he said, "I'm sorry."

There was a pause, and then she gradually moved her arms up, returning the embrace. His whispers drifted into silence, and the only thing to break that was the barely audible sound of their breathing. She stared up at the ceiling, he closed his eyes, and neither of them moved for what seemed an eternity.

And then, he sat up carefully, eyes searching her face with concern as he asked, "Are you alright? I didn't…I…." He trailed off, a haunted look passing across his features momentarily.

"You idiot!" she shot up into a sitting position, glaring at him accusingly. "Why did you let him do that to you?! Don't you have any self respect at all?!"

His eyes fumbled down to the bed, concentrating with rapt attention at a random fold in the blankets.

"How could you let him do that?!" her eyes were blazing crimson with irritation now, fangs fully withdrawn. "How?!" she demanded angrily.

"I'm sorry…," he whispered, the pain in his eyes more than obvious as his expression contorted in agony.

"Don't ever, ever do that ever again!"

His eyes remained fixated on the crease.

"Look at me!" she snarled, grabbing his face in her hands and forcing it up so that his tortured eyes met hers. "No one is allowed to touch you but me!" she declared fiercely.

Shiki was utterly still for a long moment. Not moving, not speaking, not even breathing. But then he moved his hands up, over hers against his face, and inclined his head forward so that their foreheads touched lightly. He smiled slightly, her favorite smile that crinkled one corner of his mouth, and all of her thoughts immediately tumbled from her head.

"Yeah…," his voice was low, but she heard the words clearly. "You're right. You're the only one allowed to touch me."

She wasn't sure if she'd heard correctly. The world was beginning to spin out of focus. Her breath was caught in her lungs, and she couldn't have spoken even if she'd wanted to. She had definitely said way too much, but for him to agree…

At the same time, she became aware of something entirely different. Sharp, insistent pain wrenched through her, and she shot away from him, hand flying to her chest. She gasped, nearly convulsing as that pain speared out even harder, lashing through her brutally. Her fangs remained out, unable to recede, and she was aware that her eyes must be glowing vivid, bloody red.

Having suffered serious injury when Rido had sent a whip of blood through her left shoulder, (which had narrowly avoided her heart), it had taken quite a bit of her energy to recover. Not only that, but she hadn't fed since the last time she had been awake, and she had no idea when that had been. And to make matters even worse, the one sitting so close to her was Senri Shiki, the vampire whose blood she'd been craving for as long as she could remember. It was impossible to resist longing for it even when she was well fed with blood tablets, but now that she was starving, in a flustered state, and in a rather small room with him…she didn't know how she was going to be able to resist. The scent that rose off his skin was utterly irresistible. She bit down hard on her lip, drawing blood as her body shook with effort.

Despite her apparent need, she refused to ask the sinful question that she yearned to. To drink the blood of another vampire was a very intimate experience. It was something almost sexual, something that would certainly affect her further than merely sating her thirst. She could not afford to lose control like that. Not in front of Shiki.

"Rima…," he said softly, stretching a hand to her. It almost looked like an invitation.

She shook her head back and forth vehemently, managing to choke out, "In my purse..."

He smirked ruefully, "Unfortunately, I didn't have time to get that."

"Don't you-" she broke off as another spasm ripped through her.

"Rima," the voice was more firm now, almost commanding. She glared at that tone. He tried again, placating this time, "Rima…you already asked for my blood…remember? And I already told you that you could have it."

What? She struggled desperately to recall that, scowling to herself. When had she asked such an indecent thing? There was something nagging at the edges of her brain, and she could vaguely remember being cradled in someone's arms…someone telling her that they were taking her to safety… That was when… But the memory slipped away from her like sand.

"I wasn't myself, I didn't know what I was asking," she hissed.

He sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes, and then he was suddenly pulling her back with him as he leaned against the headboard, tugging her onto his lap. She gave a muffled squeak of indignation as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her against him so tightly that she could feel every inch of him with sudden, burning awareness.

"Really…," he spoke with a slightly exasperated tone. "You've always got to be so difficult about everything."

But being pressed so tightly against his body, her pain constricted breaths pushing her against him sharply with each inhalation, and her blood lust starting to make her dizzy, she knew there was no way she was going to be able to resist drinking his blood. So she purposely exerted an iron grip on herself, determined to make this as painless as possible for him.

"Thank you," she murmured, a little shyly, twining her arms around his neck.

"Anytime," he muttered, but she could see he was smiling faintly.

Forcing herself to stay calm by reassuring herself that her thirst would be over soon enough, she leaned her head against his shoulder, pressing her lips against his collarbone delicately and thrilling over the taste of his skin. It was lucky for them both, she thought distantly, that he had worn one of his lower cut shirts, as anything else would have risked being stained with blood.

Her heart was racing faster than ever before as she kissed the side of his throat. She felt his body grow taut, the way it always did when something unexpected was happening. Still, she couldn't stop herself from sliding her lips down the side of his neck, moving her left hand to caress his throat from his chin to the hollow at his throat. She heard his breath catch, and this time she ran her tongue over the perfect, smooth flesh. His chest hitched, and she did it again, loving the taste of his cool skin.

The pain wracked her body once more, searing through her veins like fire, and she knew that she could not prolong the inevitable for any longer. Cupping the other side of his neck with her left hand, she allowed her fangs to penetrate that pale surface, sinking down into him with care and precision. Her right hand twined through his hair, and she allowed the blood she had been lusting for to fill her mouth.

It was absolutely amazing. No, it was better than that. To actually taste this blood… She pulled deeply from his veins, relishing every mouthful. It was so much more incredible than she had ever imagined. Shutting her eyes in ecstasy, she focused only on that beautifully sweet sensation.

His arms loosened now that she was doing as he wished, one hand rubbing her back in slow, warm circles, soothing her, and the other around her waist. She could feel him sigh, though she wasn't sure what the cause of that was. Certainly he wasn't enjoying her drinking his blood…? Was it her imagination, or was his heart beating a bit irregularly, as well? But the taste of his blood was driving away all thought. It was the only thing she could grasp just then.

For a while, time stood still. She wasn't sure how many moments had passed. The only thing she knew was that she was being held in Shiki's arms while she drank his blood. It was something she had only fantasized about before. And now that dream had become a reality, even if only for a short time.

Her thirst had died down to a manageable level now, and she knew she could not take much more from him before he weakened. She swallowed the last mouthful and quickly pressed her tongue against the bite marks, sealing them shut. At the same time, she managed to catch the stray droplets before they had even traveled an inch away from her lips. Rima had always been very tidy with her feeding, and this time was no exception. Her tongue cleaned the wounds with dainty, measured strokes, and then ran across her lips to ensure that every trace of blood was removed.

She knew that she should sit up now, pull away, but something compelled her to remain as she was, head against his shoulder, arms around him. She was intoxicated with his blood, her body feeling warmer than she could ever remember it being, and she allowed her left hand to come around, brushing her fingers against the two identical marks on his neck.

To her surprise, he didn't move. Instead, he shifted her closer, further into the circle of his arms, and she didn't resist. As if in a dream, she kissed his neck again, tenderly, allowing her lips to linger over the wounds.

And then he turned his head, putting his face only centimeters from hers. Her breath left her in a rush, her mouth forming a surprised circle at his action. He pulled her arm around his neck, cradling her close, eyes liquid and intent on hers in a way that was making everything inside her melt.

"You missed a spot," he breathed huskily, and before she could react, she felt his lips brush the corner of her mouth, tongue tracing an arc from her lower lip to her upper.

She gasped involuntarily, shivering slightly at the contact. He pulled back just enough to lock his gaze with hers again and whispered, "I think you took a little too much. I'm going to need some of that back." And once again, before she could even blink, she felt his mouth against hers, insistent and hot.

She didn't know what she was doing. All she was aware of was him. She let him open her mouth, felt his tongue run behind her lips, against her own, taking the residue of his blood back. Her hand had clenched in his hair, and it was all she could do to keep a remote hold on her awareness. And within another moment, he had altered the kiss in a way that burned inside her, leaving her gasping, though he gave her no respite, stipulating a response. At every place that she could feel his body against hers, it burned. His fingers slid down her cheek, leaving a trail of fire behind.

He had her against him so tightly now that she wasn't sure if they were breathing separately or together. She could feel his lean muscles beneath his shirt, straining against her with each breath, and she could feel her breasts tightening in response. The feeling that blazed through her now was something entirely alien to her, and something that she could not get enough of.

"Shiki!" she managed to gasp in protest as he broke off kissing her long enough to shift her body underneath his, her head hitting the pillow with a soft thud.

He paused, hands pinning her wrists to the bed, eyes smoldering down at her with an intensity that made the pit of her stomach grow tight and the fire swirl through her even more heatedly. Looking up into those eyes, feeling the emotion there, rendered her completely helpless.

She had no idea what she was doing anymore. Twisting one hand free, she could feel herself pulling him closer, kissing him again, that hand moving of its own will rather than hers. But she no longer knew what her will was. She was conscious only of him, and the fact that she _wanted_ him to kiss her, to touch her. Wanted it and wanted it in a way that she had never let herself feel before.

She couldn't breathe. He was kissing her, again and again, and she could only gasp for air momentarily between each one. But she ignored that, pressing herself closer still. The world did not exist beyond him. Air was not required. And then he was giving her room to catch her breath, kissing her cheeks, her jaw, lingering over her neck, before snatching it all away again with another kiss that sent her reeling further into oblivion.

Her hands continued to move on their own, sliding under his shirt and across his bare skin. She shuddered, and she could hear his breathing falter. His skin was so hot now, fiery like his touch. There was a warning bell shrieking in the back of her mind, but she shut it off. She was beyond listening to it. She could feel his entire body against her, and it was more than she could bear.

Her whole body was on fire with desire. She wanted him, needed him, couldn't get enough of him. Clutching him against her wasn't enough, kissing him wasn't enough. She needed _more_.

And then, just before she totally lost it, she felt him wrench himself away from her with effort, falling to the other side of bed, breathing ragged. She lay there for a stunned moment, trying desperately to gather air in her lungs and to calm herself down. The world was spinning around her, though from a lack of oxygen or an overdose of Shiki, she couldn't be sure.

She waited, the fire slowly extinguishing itself from her sensitized body, though there was still an insatiable ache within her. Every nerve was hyper aware of his proximity, dancing with electric memories of the ways he had just been touching her. Her breathing finally steadied somewhat from shallow gasps, and she was able to think beyond the remembrance of his touch.

Collecting her wits, the logical part of her brain assessed what had happened. Not only had she drunk Shiki's blood, but now she had also kissed him, multiple times, with no real intention of stopping… She shuddered, heat flaring through her with the memory, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. She was really shameless, wasn't she? But then, Shiki certainly hadn't seemed inclined to stop, either, and _he_ was the one who'd started it.

_He started it!_ Her lips pursed at the childish thought. _Yeah, and I'm the one who was finishing it…_

She took a deep breath, then glanced over at him. He seemed relatively composed now, despite the uneven rise and fall of his chest, eyes half shut and hand over his brow to help shield from the increasing strength of the sun's rays through the curtains. They were rather flimsy, she noted with distaste. Hardly adequate for proper sleeping arrangements.

But looking at him brought back a familiar ache in her heart. She still longed to touch him…no, _needed_ to touch him, just to reassure herself that he was there, really there, as himself. That this was not a cruel illusion but a reality, and that Rido was long gone from that precious body. Her arm stretched out to close the distance between them, hesitating for a beat before touching his hand timidly.

His eyes flicked to her, and he smiled again, the corner of his mouth creasing upwards in that familiar and beloved way. His fingers laced with hers, and joy washed through her at such a simple touch.

If she were to die in that moment, it wouldn't be so bad. She could slip away peacefully now. Nothing in her life compared to this. Not when she'd become a model, not the first time she'd met Shiki, not when they had danced together at the academy ball, not even all of the time they'd spent together. There was nothing even remotely close to this small part of her life. She was absorbing it, reliving each second of it, and storing it away so that she might remember it later. She would certainly be dreaming it, she knew.

Suddenly, it wasn't enough. She swallowed hard past the lump that had formed in her throat. It wasn't enough. She didn't want the dream to end just yet. A little more time, even a mere second, would do. Her body was already moving ahead of her mind, giving her time only to process what had already happened.

She leaned over him, her face inches from his, hand resting against his cheek now. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. She let her whim control her, brushing her lips against his with the barest of pressures. His breath caught, and she felt his arms fold around her, pulling her close again. His lips were the sweetest thing she had ever tasted, brushing against hers like butterfly wings. Gently, lovingly…

_Still not enough_.

She deepened her kiss, shifting her body to straddle his, leaning into him in a way that she knew he could not ignore. She could feel him hesitate, body trembling beneath hers with indecision. Speeding up the kiss, she took advantage of his sudden uncertainty. Her fingers were nimble, quick as they moved to push up his shirt.

"Rima-" he could scarcely get the word out, but she heard the warning note in his voice.

"Shut up," she commanded, determined to get her way.

The shock on his face might have been amusing, but she took full advantage of his lapse to force the material over his head. He let her, obediently, his eyes disbelieving before she made them close with a kiss that had her mind reeling wildly out of control again. Her hands traced the flawless contours of his chest, his shoulders, his stomach, relishing the feel of his bare skin. She was losing awareness rapidly, mind numbing with ecstasy.

But then she felt strong arms clamp down on hers, forcing her away, creating a gap between their bodies that she did not want. She struggled weakly against his steely grip for a moment before giving in, a pathetic whimper sounding softly in the back of her throat.

"Stop," he admonished her, though the feverish look in his eyes and his heavily irregular breathing told her that was extremely difficult for him to say.

"Why…?" the question sounded pitiful, even to her ears.

He shook his head slowly, almost in disbelief, it seemed, "Rima, really… How much control do you expect me to have…? We can't do this now."

She glowered at him. Well, why not? She could feel her jaw jutting out stubbornly, in preparation to object.

"Not now," he repeated, cutting her off before she had a chance to begin.

Her eyes fixed him with intense disapproval.

"Later," he promised.

"Fine," she sighed, perturbed but feeling suddenly too tired to pursue the matter.

She felt drained now, her energy sinking at an alarming pace as fatigue hurried to blossom through her body. She yawned sleepily, and heard an echoing yawn from him.

"Hey…Shiki," she mumbled.

"Mmm?"

"Let's go to sleep now, 'kay?"

"'Kay," he murmured back, releasing her.

She lie down, burrowing her head against the pillow. Shiki was beside her a moment later, settling the blankets around them before pulling her against him again. She snuggled up to him wordlessly, leaning her head against his shoulder and tucking her arm around his waist. His arms were returning the embrace an instant later, and as an afterthought he shifted his head to her pillow, taking the other one to cover their heads from the now painful sunlight that slanted into the room.

"Thanks," she said quietly, eyes closing as her vision blurred.

"Yeah…"

There was a pause, then drowsily, "Rima…?"

"Yeah…?"

"Buy me some pocky later, okay?"

"...Okay."

--o-- [END]--o--

**More Babble:**__Reviews are very much appreciated!!!


End file.
